How to download Chrome extensions for installing in another computer?

Question

A computer I use does not have access to the https://chrome.google.com/extensions website.

I wish I could download the plugin and then use the file to install it, but the only option I have is to install. The plugin is downloaded to a temporary folder with a random name, and I'm not able to identify it.

Answer 1

Ok. I just found out that the accepted answer's method is not working. It was actually working a few months back. So, when I came here to copy the link (I had forgotten) I found that its not working. Here's what I did to get the CRX file.

Note: You will need the Chrome Extensions's ID for this. I am referring it to as $ID$. You can get the $ID$ from the URL of the Chrome Extension page.

1. Go to Chrome's Extensions page (chrome://extensions/)

2. Enable the developer mode (check the developer mode box)

   

3. Click on the "Pack extension" button. Give the "Extension root directory" as ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/$ID$ for ubuntu, C:\Users\<Your_User_Name>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\$ID$ for windows, ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default\$ID$ for OS X. Leave the "Private Key" field blank" and click "Pack extension".

You will find the .CRX file in the same directory as ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/$ID$ (or other respective directories for Windows and OS X)

(Note: The .CRX file is just a .ZIP file. If all you want to do is to extract extension after getting it, you can just find the unpacked extension at ~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/$ID$ you don't need to follow above steps. You would need to follow above steps only if you specifically need the .CRX file)

Answer 2

Or just use http://chrome-extension-downloader.com to download a chrome extension easily.

Answer 3

I've wondered how to do this too. I found this blog article that has the solution (I edited it to bring it up-to-date):

1. Find the ID of the extension you’re interested in. When on the details page of the extension, it will be something like

   bfbmjmiodbnnpllbbbfblcplfjjepjdn

   after

   https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/

2. Paste this into Firefox (not Chrome):

   https://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx?response=redirect&x=id%3D~~~~%26uc

   and replacing ~~~~ with the extension ID.
3. You’ll be prompted to save a CRX file. Drag this file to a Chrome window and proceed with installation

Answer 4

Since September 3, 2015, Installing Chrome extensions off-line no longer work (and here ) due to Google trying to prevent malicious extensions being downloaded and installed. To install an extension off-line today, require you to install a signed pre-packaged full Chrome install, using Googles Chrome for Business. This functionality is controlled by a policy list. Or according to this post, you can use their Dev or Canary channels to run any extension. Their latest builds can be found here

Answer 5

If you have access to the codebase for the .crx package, you can also install it directly in chrome by going to chrome://extensions/.

Next click on "Load Unpacked Extensions" and select the root directory (of the code).

The extension should work now.

Answer 6

I found a solution based on the best solution in this forum post: https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/chrome/g02KlhK12fU

To summarize, the solution is:

1. Go to where the extension is installed in your computer
2. Create a .crx file yourself
3. Drag & Drop the crx file into Chrome to install

To be precise:

1. Find the ID of the extension you’re interested in at the end of the path from Chrome Web Store (the last groups of weird characters). For example, it is "cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb" for following link.

   https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb

2. Go to where the plugins are installed (by default, it should be "%APPDATA%/../Local/Google/Chrome/User Data/Default/Extensions" in Windows.

3. Open the folder of your extension (the name of the folder is the ID of the extension ("cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb"). Notice that there is a subfolder with the version of the extension.

4. In Chrome, go to the page with "Extensions", and click on "Developer Mode"

5. Click on "Pack Extension" and choose the folder "Local/.../Extensions//"

6. The .crx file has been created in the folder "Local/.../Extensions/".

7. To install the extension in Chrome (another account or computer), simply drag&drop the crx file into Google Chrome.

If it is not clear, do not hesitate to comment.